taken aback
IdiomsExample Sentences
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"She was a bit taken aback and said, 'Darling, nuns can't wear pretty clothes'. So I said, 'Well, I'll be an actress then.'"
From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026
"He thought of a hospital as one that could treat both people and animals," Kelemework explains, adding that he was taken aback by the response to his nephew's kindness.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
BP directors and company outsiders were at times taken aback by how assured Manifold seemed even before he had met with business heads, people familiar with the discussions said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
But Rodriguez, who has endorsed Bass for mayor and is a frequent critic of Raman, said she was taken aback by Raman’s attitude at their dinner.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
“Oh!” she seemed rather taken aback, but rose promptly.
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
